Agitator or mixer



Dec 1940- ,D. M. WILHELM ETAL 2,227,331

AGI'IYATOR OR MIXER Filed June 12, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/. WM, 1 04 awwl ec 31, 1940- D. M. WILHELM m. 12 227,331

AGITATOR OR MIXER Filed June 12, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 "If g.

Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AGITATOR OR MIXER.

Application June 12, 1937, Serial No. 147,979

1 Claim. (Cl. 259-103) This invention relates to a new type of agitator or mixer. I

The primary object is to, provide for full adjustment of the stirring shaft.

The old type of agitator or mixer upon which the present invention is a decided improvement, had no adjustment at all for the agitator shaft, and in later improvements a machine of this general type has a maximum adjustment of about six inches.

The present invention consists of a hollow shaft with a telescoping solid shaft, which may be pulled entirely through the hollow shaft without disturbing or removing the rest of the equipment, and regardless of whether in the form of a direct drive or in a geared type of machine in which the reducing unit is fitted with a hollow shaft which provides the same adjustment as that on the direct drive machine.

This improved agitator or mixer is of the portable type and being portable is obviously adapted to be used in receptacles of varying size and depth, as for instance it may be used in a barrel say twenty-two inches in diameter and thirty inches deep,,and then transferred to a tank four feet in diameter and four feet deep, and so on. Therefore, the stirrer-shaft must be longer when it is used in a deep vessel than when it is used in a shallower one, and consequently some adjustment is necessary in order to vary its length to suit the conditions.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view showing this improvement in the form of a direct drive;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a form of reduction gear and indirect drive;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating means for connecting the members of the telescopic shaft together;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 55 of Fig. 4 looking downward as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the split bushing.

A represents a motor of approved type, and is the housing. The armature shaft is telescopic and comprises a tubular member 2 and solid shaft 3, which latter is slidable and adjustable throughout the entire length of the tubular member 2. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the armature shaft turns in bearings 4 of any approved type arranged at intervals throughout its length and within the housing, and the outer member 2 is held by'these bearings against endwise movement.

While different means of adjustment might be provided for'raising and lowering the inner member 3 of the telescopic shaft, our preferred construction is illustrated in detail in Figs. 4, 5

and 6.

The lower end of the tubular member is pro vided with external screw-threads 5 and. the extreme end is bored out to provide a conical mouth 6. A split bushing l surrounds the inner member 3 of the shaft as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This bushing has conical ends 8, one end of which is adapted to fit the conical mouth 6 at the lower end of the tubular member 2.

The internally threaded tightening nut 9 encloses the bushing and is adapted toturn on the threads 5 of the hollow member 2 of the shaft. This tightening nut is provided with an internal inclined shoulder Ill just within its bore in position to engage the lower conical end 8 of the bushing I. As the tightening nut 9 turns on the threads 5 of the tubular member 2, due to the conical ends 8 of the split bushing 1, the conical mouth 6, and the inclined shoulder 10, the split bushing is circumferentially compressed against the solid inner member 3 of the shaft, and at the same time by reason of the wedging action between the inclined and conical contact surfaces 6, 8 and I0, the entire assembly of the coupling is held rigidly together and the two members 2 and 3 of the shaft are locked firmly into a single unit.

By the above described means, we are enabled to exert greater pressure with less exertion than would be the case if a solid sleeve were used, while at the same time we entirely do away with the necessity for the use of wrenches.

In this way, a coupling means is provided of a simple type and capable of easy and quick adjustment whenever the shaft is to be lengthened or shortened.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, a direct drive is employed, and in the form illustrated in Fig. 2 a form of indirect drive is illustrated, and instead of utilizing the armature shaft as a means of stirring the material, the rotary motion of the armature shaft I2 is transmitted to the hollow shaft 2 through the transmission gears l3, as fully illustrated in Fig. 2.

The mixer o-r agitator is fastened to the receptacle by means of one or more clamps l4. Two are illustrated in order to provide a firmer hold on the edge of the receptacle. Whether one or two are employed, these are connected to the motor case by bolt I 5 in the form shown in Fig. 1.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3, We provide a universal joint connection by means of a bolt I6 which connects the clamp frame I! to the head l8, and the head [8 is pivotally connected to the side of the housing I by a bolt. To provide a perfect lock between the head !8 and the housing, a plurality of locking disks I!) are located at each end of the head l8, and by turning the hand-wheel 20 on the bolt, the alternately attached locking disks I 9 are drawn together between the hand-wheel 20 and the head 2|.

When the hand-wheel 20 on this part of the clamp is tightened, the tension on the locking disks l9 draws them together, thereby providing a perfect look at this point.

As has been illustrated and explained, these portable mixers are built in the form of both direct and geared drives, the direct drive being intended to operate at motor speed, which is usually from 1200 to 1800 R. P. M., whereas the speed on the gear drive is adapted to be reduced through gears usually to approximately 440 R. P. M.

On the smaller unit, the single clamp is sufficient, while on the larger units the double clamp is preferable.

In the use of the machine, the inner member of the shaft may he slid in and out of the hollow member, throughout the entire length of the latter, or a less amount according to the depth and size of the receptacle containing the material to be agitated and stirred.

When suitably extended, the telescoping members of the shaft are rigidly held together by means of the coupling mechanism hereinbefore described, which has been adopted because of its efiectievness and the ease and speed with which it may be manipulated without requiring the use of wrenches or other tools. In this way, ample extension and adjustment is afiorded to suit the requirements, and in a very compact, practical, and simple way.

We claim:

In an agitator or mixer, the combination of a motor housing, a motor, a tubular shaft open at opposite ends and extending throughout the length of the housing, anti-friction bearings between opposite ends of the housing and the tubular shaft confined therein, a shaft slidable within and entirely removable from the tubular shaft, and adjustable throughout its entire length, the tubular shaft being driven by the motor, means for coupling the two shafts together, the inner shaft having a propeller thereon, and means for detacably securing the agitator or mixer to the container having the material to be agitated or mixed.

DEAN M. WILHELM. ARTHUR E. KEMPLER. 

